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All lanes of southbound I-5 reopen following train derailment near Nisqually

All lanes to reopen by Thursday morning commute

UPDATE: All lanes of southbound I-5 at Mounts Road (milepost 116) have reopened to traffic. Crews were able to complete remaining work activities that required a right lane closure ahead of schedule. The Mounts Road on-ramp to southbound I-5 has also reopened. There are no remaining closures following the Monday train derailment.

DUPONT – Traffic is moving once again on southbound Interstate 5 south of the city of DuPont following a train derailment that blocked all lanes earlier this week.

At 4:50 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 20, the Washington State Department of Transportation reopened the two left lanes near the Mounts Road exit.

“It took a highly-coordinated effort with several agencies during the initial emergency and recovery to reopen the highway after this terrible tragedy,” said WSDOT Regional Administrator John Wynands. “We appreciate the patience of people in the nearby communities and users of the road while crews worked to ensure this stretch of I-5 is safe for the traveling public.”

Additional nighttime work

The right lane of southbound I-5, and the southbound Mounts Road on-ramp will remain closed overnight while WSDOT maintenance crews continue emergency guardrail repair and slope restoration work. Crews expect this work to be finished in time to completely reopen the lane and ramp for the Thursday morning commute. Nighttime travelers should reduce their speed to 45 mph through the area for the safety of the crews along the road.

Several alternate routes were recommended to keep local traffic moving during the emergency closure of the highway. Those guide signs and flaggers will be removed throughout the night. WSDOT will also restore traffic signals that were retimed at key intersections.